Device for blocking,stretching and drying textile articles



Feb, 4, 1969 N. A. FELD ETAL 3,

DEVICE FOR BLOCKING, STRETCJ'IING AND DRYING TEXTILE ARTICLES Filed May 11, 1967 FIGS INVENTORS fi E'L L IE ANCONA l-"ELD 660E 55 J FELD Feb. 4, 1969 N. A. FELD ETAL 2 DEVICE FOR BLOCKING, STRETCHING AND DRYING TEXTILE ARTICLES Filed May 11, 1967 Sheet 2 of 2 INVENTORS 9g NFLL/E AVA/C0444 FELD EOEGE' J. F620 ,4 rramve'r United States Patent '0 3,425,143 DEVICE FOR BLOCKING, STRETCHING AND DRYING TEXTILE ARTICLES Nellie Ancona Feld and George J. Feld, both of 100 Avenue P, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11204 Filed May 11, 1967, Ser. No. 637,824

US. Cl. 38-1023 17 Claims Int. Cl. D06c 3/08; A47f /10 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The device comprises a pair of coextensive sections pivoted together and foldable into superposed positions. The sections comprise complementary frames carrying panels of closed cell expanded foam so that a sweater or like article may be placed on the opened up panels and stretched, and the sweater will be held onto the panels because of the character of the material of which the panels are made. The front surfaces of the panels may be roughened so that the sweater may better adhere thereto. Also, prong like members may be used to pierce the sweater and the panels to hold the sweater on the panels. The sections may be :folded together for storage or shipping. Means is provided to hold the panels opened up which may be easily manipulated to permit the panels to be folded. A hanger is also provided to hang up the device in opened up position. The panels are perforated.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to devices for blocking, stretching and drying textile articles, such as sweaters or other garments or pieces of cloth.

An object of this invention is to provide a device of the character described comprising a pair of sections foldable together and also swingable into a common plane, said panels being made of closed cell expanded foam. The front faces of the panels may be roughened by scraping so that the sweater will naturally cling to said surfaces and may be mounted in a stretched condition.

Another object of this invention is to provide pronglike members which may be pierced through various portions of the sweater and to also pierce the panels for holding the sweater or other garment or textile article in stretched condition on said panels.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a pair of complementary frames hinged together and each carrying one of the panels, with a hanger provided to hang the device on a wall, and the hanger having means to hold the panels in opened up, coplanar condition.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a strong, rugged and durable device of the character described which shall be relatively inexpensive to manufacture, which shall be easy to manipulate and which may be folded into compact form for shipping and storage and which shall yet be practical and efiicient to a high degree in use.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of invention. will be indicated in the following claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION- OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING In the accompanying drawing, in which are shown various illustrative embodiments of this invention,

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the device em- Patented Feb. 4, 1969 bodying the invention opened up and showing a sweater stretched thereon;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial view showing the engagement of the hook with the panel frames and illustrating a modified construction;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a partial view of a device embodying a modified form of the invention;

FIG. 7a is a perspective view of a modified form of pronged member to attach the garment to the panels;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 99 of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the structure of FIG. 7 in folded position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now in detail to the drawing, 10 designates a device embodying the invention for stretching and drying or blocking textile articles such as sweater 11.

The device 10 comprises a pair of symmetrical sec- .tions 13. Each section 13 comprises a frame 14 supporting a fiat panel 15 of closed cell expanded foam such as Polystyrene or Polyeurethane. One form of polystyrene is manufactured by Dow Chemical Corp, called Styrofoam. The panels are preferably about an inch in thickness. They may be between three quarters of an inch and an inch and onehalf in thickness. The panels are flat and acoextensive. Each panel 15 is supported in a frame 14.

Each frame 14 has a top portion 16, a bottom portion 17 and an outer side interconnecting portion 19. The portions 16, 17 and 19 are all of channel shaped crosssection, forming channels at their inner sides. The upper, lower and outer side edge portions of the panels are received in the channels. The inner ends of the upper and lower portions 16 and 17 are hinged together by means of a top hinge 20 and a bottom hinge 21, located on the inner walls 16a and 17a of said portions. Thus, the frames with the panels in them may be folded together into superposed position for shipment or storage.

Means is provided for hanging the device on a wall or on a hook. To this end one top wall 16b of one top portion 16 is provided with an upstanding ear 25 and the top wall 16b of the other top portion 16 is formed with an upstanding ear 26. The ears 25 and 26 are parallel to 'each other and are spaced apart.

Ear 26 is formed with a hole 27, and ear 25 is formed with a horizontal slot 28. Swingably mounted on the ear 26 is a hanger 30. Hanger 30 may be made of wire and has a bottom horizontal portion 31 passing through the hole 27. At the outer end of said horizontal portion 31, is an upstanding finger 33. Extending from the opposite end of said horizontal portion 31, is an upwardly extending portion 34 from which extends a hook 35.

When the device 10 is opened, the horizontal portion 31 also passes through the slot 28 so that the hook holds the panels in opened position. When it is desired to fold the sections together the hanger 30 is swung downwardly and forwardly to horizontal position so that the finger 33 projects forwardly and horizontally. Then the hanger may be moved to the right, looking at FIG. 1 of the drawing, and the finger 33 may move through the slot 28 until it contacts the ear 26. Then the two sections 13 of the device 10 may be folded together.

Conversely when it is desired to open up the device for use, the hanger is moved to the left so that finger 33 moves through the slot 28 and then the hanger may be lifted and then the portion 31 of the hanger holds the sections 13 in coplanar position.

In FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 there is shown a modified form of a hanger for the device. In FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 the top wall 16b of one top portion 16 is formed with an opened up horizontal sleeve 40 Whereas the top wall 16b of the top portion 16 of the other section 13, is formed with a closed horizontal sleeve 42. The sleeve 42 rotatably and slidably receives a horizontal portion 44 of a hanger 45. Said horizontal portion 44 has an upturned finger 46 at one end. At its opposite end it has a bent back portion 47 from which extends a horizontal portion 48. Extending upwardly from portion 48 is a portion 49 which terminates in a hook 50. The horizontal portion 44 also slidably and rotatably engages the sleeve 40 to hold the sections 13 in coplanar position.

When it is desired to fold the sections 13, the hanger 45 is rotated forwardly and downwardly through an angle of 90, bringing the finger 46 to a horizontal, forwardly extending position. The hanger 45 may then be slidably moved to the right, looking at FIG. 4 of the drawing. During such movement finger 46 passes between the sleeve 40 and the top wall 16b to disengage the hanger 45 from one of the sections 13. Said portion 44 is permanently engaged with the sleeve 42, which is substantially closed. When portion 44 becomes disengaged from one of the sections 13, said sections may be folded for storage or shipment.

The sweater 11 may additionally be afiixed to said panels 15 in stretched condition by means of a plurality of multipronged members 50 or 51 each having prongs piercing the sweater and embedded in the panels.

Member 50 is U-shaped and has two prongs whereas member 51 has a back 51a and a plurality of prongs 51b, resembling a small comb.

In FIGS. 7-10 there is shown a device a illustrating a modified construction.

The device 10a is the same as device 10 of FIG. 1,"

except that the locking means and hanger means are different. In device 10a, frame parts 13 carry the panels and are hinged together by hinges 20, 21.

Pivoted to top wall 16b of one frame part as by a headed pin 70, is a locking bar 71 overlapping top wall 16b of the other frame part. Bar 71 is formed with a bayonet slot 72 having a longitudinal portion 72a and a. short portion 72b extending from its inner end. Between slot 72 and pin 70, said bar 71 is formed with a longitudinal sleeve 73 adjacent its rear edge. A hook hanger 74 has a horizontal portion 75 rotatably and non-slidably received in said sleeve 73. A headed pin 76 is fixed to top wall 16b of said other frame part and pasess through slot 72.

In FIG. 8, the bar 71 locks the frame parts because pin 76 is in slot part 72b. The hanger may be in vertical position.

In FIG. 10, the frame parts are folded. To release from FIG. 8, bar 71 is swung counter-clockwise (FIG. 8) to allow folding.

The panels 15 may be formed with vertical and horizontal rows of small through holes to allow for circulation of air to aid in drying the garment. These holes are preferably punched with pins having tapered pointed piercing tips, whereby the foam material :at the inner surfaces of the holes are compacted to strengthen the panels at the holes.

In FIG. 7a there is shown another form of pronged device 80 to hold the garment on the panels. The device 80 may be made of wire and has two prongs 81 preferably slightly divergent from 1 to 5 to the vertical, looking at FIG. 7a. The prongs 81 are connected by a curved or hooked part 82, and have tapered, pointed tips 83. When pushing the prongs through the panels, parts of the panels will not be punched out, and here likewise the foam material is compressed or compacted to increase the friction between the prongs and the panels so as to prevent looseness.

It will thus be seen that there is provided an article in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various charges might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

We claim:

1. A device for stretching textile articles, comprising a pair of fiat substantially rigid, coextensive, similar panels of closed cell expanded foam, and means to mount said panels for swinging movement from extended coplanar position to folded superposed position, said panels having front, rough surfaces and said mount means comprising hinged together, symmetrical frame parts, each having means to engage edge portions of said panels.

2. The combination of claim 1, said engage means comprising means forming channels to receive said edge portions of said panels.

3. A device for stretching textile articles, comprising a pair of flat substantially rigid, coextensive, similar panels of closed cell expanded foam, and means to mount said panels for swinging movement from extended coplanar position to folded superposed position, and means to retain said panels in coplanar position, said retain means being releasable to allow said panels to be moved from said coplanar position to said superposed position, and means on said retain means to hang said panels in vertical coplanar position.

4. A device for stretching textile articles, comprising a pair of flat substantially rigid, coextensive, similar panels of closed cell expanded foam, and means to mount said panels for swinging movement from extended coplanar position to folded superposed position, and a plurality of multi-pronged members having prongs adapted to pierce a textile article laid on said panels and to pierce said panels.

5. The combination of claim 2, a bar hinged to one frame part and provided with a bayonet slot, a pin on the other frame part received in said bayonet slot, and a hanger pivoted to said bar.

6. The combination of claim 4, said prongs having tapered, pointed tips.

7. A device for stretching and drying textile articles comprising a flat substantially rigid panel of closed cell expanded foam, said panel having a rough surface over which an article to be stretched and dried may be placed, reinforcing means extending longitudinally of an edge of said panel and attached thereto, and means connected to said reinforcing means, to support said panel in a hanging position, said panel being formed with means to allow for circulation of air between said overlying article and said surface of said panel.

8. The combination of claim 7, said panel being between three-quarters of an inch and one and one-half inches in thickness.

9. The combination of claim 7, said closed cell expanded foam panel comprising polystyrene foam.

10. The combination of claim 7, and a plurality of pointed prongs adapted to pierce a textile article on said panel and piercing said panel to hold said article to said panel in stretched condition.

11. The combination of claim 7, said reinforcing means comprising a channel receiving said edge of said panel.

12. A device for stretching and drying textile articles comprising a paiir of flat substantially rigid panels of closed cell expanded foam, said panels having upper, lower, and side edges, means to hold panels in coplanar positions with adjacent side edges in edge to edge contact, and means connected to said first mentioned means, to support said panels in hanging position, said panels being coextensive and similar, the front surfaces of said panels being rough, and means to circulate air between the front and rear surfaces of said panels and textile articles laid over said surfaces.

13. The combination of claim 12, said means to hold said panels in coplanar positions comprising channels engaging upper and lower edges of said panels.

14. The combination of claim 12, said panels each being between three-quarters of an inch and one and onehalf inches in thickness.

15. The combination of claim '12, said panels comprising polystyrene foam.

16. The combination of claim 12, and a plurality of pointed prongs adapted to pierce textile articles on said panels and piercing said panels to retain said article on said panels in stretched condition.

17. The combination of claim 12, said support means comprising means attached to one of said channels.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 836,438 11/1906 Coey 38102.91 1,279,281 9/ 1918 Custer 38-102.9 1,318,183 10/1919 Schultz 38102.9 3,237,778 3/1966 Hoodis 211-86 PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 21 l178 

